Ding Qihang, Ding Lina, Xiang Chunbai, Li Chunbin, Kim Eunji, Yoon Changyu, Wang Haoran, Gu Meijia, Zhang Pengfei, Wang Lin, Tang Ben Zhong, Kim Jong Seung
Department of Chemistry, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, South Korea.
Department of Oral Implantology, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Sciences and Technology for Stomatology Nanoengineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, China.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2025 Jul;64(27):e202506505. doi: 10.1002/anie.202506505. Epub 2025 May 8.
Bacterial infections significantly alter the local microenvironment, with acidic byproducts from bacterial metabolism leading to a pronounced pH reduction. Leveraging this characteristic, we synthesized and identified DHTPA, a near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent and pH-responsive aggregation-induced emission (AIE) photosensitizer, for enhanced photodynamic therapy against bacterial infections. DHTPA aggregates exhibit a 2.1-fold increase in ROS generation under weakly acidic conditions (pH 5.5) compared to neutral conditions (pH 7.4), attributed to its pH-dependent electronic structure modulation. Upon NIR light irradiation, DHTPA aggregates precisely respond to the acidic microenvironment, significantly boosting ROS production for efficient bacterial eradication. In vitro studies demonstrated that DHTPA achieved over 99.9% bactericidal efficiency against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. In a murine infected wound model, DHTPA treatment accelerated wound healing by 2.4 times, markedly reduced bacterial burden, and alleviated inflammatory responses, highlighting its therapeutic potential. By integrating NIR activation, pH responsiveness, and AIE properties, DHTPA presents a precise and efficient antibacterial therapeutic strategy, offering an innovative solution for the clinical management of bacterial infections.
细菌感染会显著改变局部微环境，细菌代谢产生的酸性副产物会导致pH值明显降低。利用这一特性，我们合成并鉴定了DHTPA，一种近红外（NIR）荧光且对pH响应的聚集诱导发光（AIE）光敏剂，用于增强针对细菌感染的光动力疗法。与中性条件（pH 7.4）相比，DHTPA聚集体在弱酸性条件（pH 5.5）下产生的活性氧增加了2.1倍，这归因于其依赖pH的电子结构调制。在近红外光照射下，DHTPA聚集体能精确响应酸性微环境，显著提高活性氧的产生以有效根除细菌。体外研究表明，DHTPA对革兰氏阴性菌和革兰氏阳性菌的杀菌效率均超过99.9%。在小鼠感染伤口模型中，DHTPA治疗使伤口愈合加速了2.4倍，显著降低了细菌载量，并减轻了炎症反应，凸显了其治疗潜力。通过整合近红外激活、pH响应性和AIE特性，DHTPA提出了一种精确有效的抗菌治疗策略，为细菌感染的临床管理提供了一种创新解决方案。
